Dear Editor,
As a retired teacher, one who taught from 1967 to 1998, and saw his students— ministers of governments, doctors, lawyers, civil servants heading major institutions and departments, international citizens, for example Mr. Toussaint Boyce, etc., I am appalled at the fact that my paltry income in terms of retirement benefit or NIS benefit cannot satisfy my basic needs. It is not a sustainable sum for my existence in this oil-rich developing country with a very high cost of living (COL).
I, therefore, still advocate that all Guyanese should enjoy the oil wealth given to them in the immediate future and not wait for five or ten years to experience God’s gift. Many know the exorbitant cost of living in Guyana today, including our president and associates, who did their studies some years ago and found out the reality of low wages and salaries vs the cost of living (COL). That disparity has significantly increased from then to now causing hundreds of thousands in such a small population as Guyana’s, to cry out to their leaders and politicians for betterment and amelioration in living standards. It surprises so many that their cries go to deaf ears.
Before the last election I gave several reasons in my article- ‘There are good reasons for sharing the proceeds of our ‘black gold’ published by Stabroek News on 25/09/2019, for highly elected ones to do what is just and fitting for our nation and I encouraged the voters to make their desires known. The complacency exists today. Our leaders do what pleases them in spite of the suffering of the poor and needy. They give petty sums to categories of workers and omit the bulk of the grass root population. Migration to foreign countries goes on in large numbers for better life and living conditions.
I will now quote sayings (the words) of some important persons concerning the distribution of oil funds to the nation. Professor Clive Thomas “every single person would see the benefit of oil and gas in terms of cheque or cash…..I believe that there can be no spender of resource than the person themselves. No one can tell you how to better spend money on what you need than yourself”. Mr. Mohamed Hamaludin, in the South Florida Times, “each household should be given some of the cash……if only a small amount as a one-time payout to let the people experience an immediate, tangible benefit from their oil.” At the formal reception for the arrival of Guyana’s Lisa Destiny FPSO Mr. Rod Henson said “oil must mean something different for each person in Guyana.” According to Sis Carlene Gill-Kerr at that function. “the benefits must trickle down to everybody.”
In the article ‘Ensuring Guyana’s petroleum resources are a blessing and not a curse’ (14/06/2019 Stabroek News), there are several points for the managers to recognize in extraction and oil operations. “Poor policies can happen when those holding power – typically politicians or bureaucrats — take personal advantage of their national resource wealth, engaging in rent seeking and corrupt political and business practices which rob their country of the opportunities that the resource wealth could provide”. The central issue in resource curse analysis.
It is also mentioned that oil rich countries “must do more to ensure that their citizens get the full value of the resources.” “Still we need leaders with vision who will ensure that all Guyanese benefit from the country’s wealth. Leaders who will plan for the generations to come so that they would not have to face the consequences of the oil curse.”
In Youtube on the internet there is an informative article from Masterworks “How Guyana Plans to Get Insanely Rich in Just 5 Years.” It is very good civics for all Guyanese. This audio and visual article also tells of the grandiose infrastructural works going on because of the oil money. It also states that “hundreds of thousands are projected to be lifted out of poverty in just a couple of years.” It states that “half of the population lived in poverty”; one reason, “Guyana was better known for its economic ineptitude.”
The oil in Guyana would certainly be a blessing to everyone and not a curse if our leaders recognize the fact that a compassionate gift of oil money for each household can be made before billions are spent on infrastructure and macroeconomic projects.
Sincerely,
Hilmon Henry